Cipher

the tunnels

blue-gray tom with green eyes

In comparison to his compact comrades, Cipher, formally known as Slatestep, was slightly larger than the average Thistcleclan warrior. He has a muscular body that airs on the side of lean and toned, as opposed to stalky, making the majority of his size contributed to by height and length alone. The bulk of Cipher’s muscles are distributed by the length of his body, resulting in a propionate distribution.

Cloaking his frame is a solid blue-grey pelt. The furs are short and sleek, with softened textures around his chest, the mane of his neck, elbows, and tails. These textures are not feathery, but slightly more erratic tufts. And, although the majority of this tom’s pelt is a solid color, he tabby rings down his tale that are only a few shades darker than his pelt; to the untrained eye, this may go completely unnoticed.

Cipher's face is often plastered with a stony expression, hence the original prefix “slate”. The kit was born as serious in nature as nurture had to prove.
Cipher's are average, a mixture of matte black and subtle whites, while his nose is a dark gray-blue. The only sign of warmth in the tom is perhaps the rusty pinks of his ears (Proportionate with rounded edges), or the occasional dance of yellow in his jade eyes.

The tom's resting face coincides with his serious demeanor, with angular cheek bones and predominant angles (though sometimes strategically hidden by well-formed muscle), a great contrast to the long, soft shapes of his brother Mothfern's form.

Cipher rarely shows himself to others, with a single exception to his young warriorhood love interest Redfox. In the clans, the tom had a small circle of "friends", cats that included him but knew him little more than a decent warrior. Those who knew little of Cipher typically assumed that he was arrogant and "too cool", for others. Those who know him well would assume the same—however, this characteristic fit Thistleclan where cats were often awarded for their rude behavior and sharp tongues.

Overall, Cipher was agreeable enough to parade alongside a gaggle of acquaintances; That was all a facade, as the tom builds up his walls to remain untouched by intrusive complications (such as the feelings or concerns of others). Though, he did not think particularly highly of any cat inside his clan, which diminished his respect for authority. Thankfully, Cipher was generally cold-tempered, so any flippant remark was unlikely to light a fire or even leave his maw.

An often familiar dynamic, Cipher held the dichotomy between pride and self-loathing. He is proud of his fighting abilities. When Cipher was named Slatestep, he earned the suffix, "step", for his unique angles and turns. Most cats could recognize him by the movement of his legs and unpredictable shifts, as opposed to relying on brute force. Cipher also experiences periods of self-loathing and depreciation where he is incredibly critical of himself and others. He tries to channel this energy into active duties, shutting himself away and burying into productivity.

Over time Cipher has had to ruminate on his true inner sensitivities. Cipher is a passionate individual filled with ever-flowing love and passions when exposed. Those that he pledged to, he offered a life of eternal loyalties but was cast aside by the nature of the code and the cruelty of cat nature. After his breakup with Redfox, Cipher wallowed in resentment and anger, leading to his departure from Thistleclan. When Minnowstar broke his heart and left him to rot in the tunnels of LichenClan, he spent many moons in solitude, shifting through the feelings and letting go of his ego.

Slatekit was born from an unknown father, rumored of loner blood. His mother was the permaqueen Swallowfall. Generally, his kit hood was uneventful though he struggled with the absence of a father figure. With the tension between Thistleclan and Rogues, Swallowfall was ostracized amongst the other queens. However, Slatekit was blessed by his mother's shielding intentions, who ensured he never experienced the same ridicule. Slatekit continued to play and grow with the surrounding kits.

During his apprentice days, Slatepaw felt paranoid about the opinions of other clan members and grew embarrassed for his loner lineage. In frustration, he lashed out at his mother, resenting her for her betrayal of Thistleclan.

As an apprentice, Slatepaw was assigned to Thievingstar (Bandit ). With her, he trained in a side-step-centered fighting style, following in the pawsteps of his mentor. They had a civil relationship. Thievingstar was hard on Slatepaw, and he took arduous training without complaints. They were never close on an emotional level, but it bothered them little. Slatepaw worked hard and kept his nose down.

During his apprenticeship, Slatepaw never developed a true support network. His friendships were superficial company and he was growing more distant from Swallowfrost by the day. One evening he met the pretty apprentice Redpaw at the RedwoodClan border. She was beautiful and fiery, interesting and secretive. Slatepaw fell in love and dedicated himself to this she-cat, his muse for living. Redpaw was able to learn about and experience a tom foreign to everyone's understanding; With her, he was sensitive, loving, patient, and kind. Only around her did he feel safe to unveil his deeper sensitivities.


During this time, Slatestep also trained his first apprentice, Eaglepaw (moony ). Eaglepaw had a similar demeanor to himself, as they were both private and hard-working warriors. Though it wasn't friendship, Slatestep did develop a bond with his apprentice. It was the type of relationship where they could both sit comfortably in silence. He treasured their interactions but in the same breath, Slatestep was always careful not to get too attached to his apprentice, aware that ThistleClan would not be his home for long — but, much to his surprise and horror, neither would RedwoodClan.

On a midnight escapade to visit Redfox, Slatestep's world shook. The very night he was going to ask to join Redwood Clan, she broke up with him. Redfox just been named deputy of Redwood Clan and chose it over his love. Slatestep was devastated.

Slatestep waited until Eaglepaw graduated and earned his warrior name, Eaglefang. Eventually, one moon-high he took his departure but was tracked by Eaglefang. Confronting him, the two fought and Slatestep pushed his former apprentice away with no explanation. A scar searing beneath his skin, sadness consumed him. Even still, Slatestep left as a rogue. 

As a rogue, Slatestep wondered for days. Hungry and delirious, he stumbled into LichenClan territory, where a patrol of cats discovered him. Led by Minnowstar (@wish) and the deputy Hemlockheart (c a n n a ). The LichenClanners beat Slatestep mercilessly. Minnowstar took Slatestep as a prisoner in the tunnels where she interrogated him. Despite the cruelty he experienced, Slatestep promised Minnowstar information on RedwoodClan and their deputy, his former lover Redfox, in a vindictive streak and attempt to live. Slowly, he won the paranoid leader's trust. In their time together, Minnowstar taught Slatestep about Starclan and the sin for which she would cleanse from their island. Lost, with no purpose to his name, Slatestep became enthralled by the doctrine. He believed Minnowstar and sought salvation in her words.

One evening Minnowstar took Slatestep to the moonpool. There, she confessed her error, becoming the heir to LichenClan in Molefur's place. Her greatest tragedy was never bearing kits, ending the heron line, and staining her claws in blood. Before returning to his imprisonment, Slatestep suggested it might not be too late.

Minnowstar pondered over their interaction. Festering guilt, she eventually approached Slatestep and committed to his offer: Slatestep would bear the children of LichenClan's future.

After lying beside Minnowstar, Slatestep never saw her again. Still imprisoned in the tunnels, he withered away in isolation, kept alive only by the visits of guards and Briarfall (Raven~ ). On one visit, Briarfall alluded that Slatestep sired Minnowstar's children. Finally realizing that his dreams were now only fantastical delusions, Slatestep grew desperate for escape. He had been slighted again, but it was not the first time a she-cat from another clan had cast aside Slatestep. In aspirations to prioritize his journey, Slatestep scorched his warrior name and took the name "Cipher", an enigma and puzzle in exploration as he claims himself the bleeding heart of no molly. At the end of their final conversation, Briarfall alludes to Slatestep that he may be skinny enough to escape in the tunnels.

When the final war launched against Lichenclan, Slatestep took it as an opportunity for escape. He fleed from the tunnels and into the underground lake. After days of traveling he stumbled upon neutral territory. There, he was reunited with his father, Vega (kaz ).